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SHR makes Patrick and Stewart crew chief changes official
Stewart-Haas Racing will officially have two new crew chiefs in 2016.
The team announced the addition of Billy Scott and the promotion of Mike Bugarewicz on Monday. Scott will be Danica Patrick's crew chief and Bugarewicz will crew chief for Tony Stewart. The moves were first reported after the 2015 season finale by Motorsport.com.
“We made these changes after thoroughly evaluating our program to ensure that all four of our teams are consistently strong and competitive,” Stewart-Haas competition director Greg Zipadelli said in a statement. “In this business, you can’t rest and you can never be satisfied. You have to constantly improve. We feel these personnel changes enhance our strengths and shore up areas where we needed to be better.”
Bugarewicz was an engineer for Kevin Harvick in 2015 and Billy Scott was a crew chief for Michael Waltrip Racing. He crew chiefed for both the No. 15 and No. 55 cars. Before becoming a crew chief in 2014, Scott was an engineer for Rodney Childers' Harvick's crew chief at MWR. Childers moved to SHR in 2014.
The teams of Patrick and Stewart were far off the pace of Harvick and Kurt Busch in 2015. Harvick, the 2014 champion, finished second in the standings and Busch also made the Chase. The two drivers won five races in 2015. Patrick and Stewart had five top-10 finishes.
Stewart's crew chief of the past two years, Chad Johnston, is now the crew chief for Kyle Larson. 2016 will be Stewart's final season in NASCAR. He'll be replaced in the No. 14 car by Clint Bowyer in 2017.
“Change isn’t easy, and that’s particularly true when it comes to my relationship with Chad Johnston. He served as my crew chief during two very difficult seasons. He was always supportive and he’s become like a brother to me. I think very highly of Chad and wish him nothing but the best in his new opportunity.”
The team said Daniel Knost, Patrick's previous crew chief, would be the team's manager of vehicle dynamics. He "will oversee a number of the organization’s technical efforts, with a specific focus on track simulation and racecar performance."
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
